This invention relates to motor vehicle trim assemblies including plastic panels and, in particular, to motor vehicle trim assemblies including plastic panels for side impact inflatable air bag systems.
Side impact inflatable air bag systems are designed to help protect heads and torsos in car accidents including roll over accidents. In such accidents, occupants"" heads may strike pillars, side rails, headers and upper interior components. Such systems typically include xe2x80x9cinflatable curtainsxe2x80x9d which often deploy from the roof of the vehicle and protect front and rear seat occupants along the car""s side windows.
If such air bag curtains are to deploy through such vehicle trim components, such components must not only match other interior components but also allow the inflating air bag curtain to perform its safety function while ensuring that parts of the components do not break off during air bag curtain deployment.
Not only initial but also replacement costs for the system can be reduced, quality can be improved and styling can be enhanced by molding a trim assembly of the system in a minimum number of pieces which can be easily incorporated within the limited space provided within the vehicle. It is desirable to make a trim cover of the assembly from a relatively hard and strong plastic yet the entire assembly should also meet head impact criteria.
The following U.S. patents relate to side impact air bag deployment systems: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,273,309; 5,308,112; 5,322,322; 5,333,898; 5,333,899; 5,362,097; 5,398,958; 5,462,308; 5,464,246; 5,480,181; 5,540,459; 5,566,977; 5,588,672; 5,605,346; 5,636,862; 5,647,607; 5,660,414; 5,718,449; 5,755,457; 5,785,349; and 5,785,350.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,930 discloses a molded instrument panel having an integral air bag deployment door for a passenger side air bag. The door is hingedly connected to a vehicle structure to pivot within an opening in the panel. Also, a flexible tethering hinge retains a broken door portion to the vehicle structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,116 discloses an instrument panel with an integral air bag opening on the driver""s side.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,515; 5,556,153; and 5,468,039 disclose molded instrument panels for motor vehicles per se.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,358; 5,549,324; 5,458,361; 5,447,328; and 5,445,410 disclose instrument panels having integral air bag openings.
As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,474,717, 5,225,141, 5,069,858, 5,098,637, and 5,447,762, it is known in the plastic molding art to use pressurized fluid in conjunction with the plastic molding of articles. The pressurized fluid is typically nitrogen gas which is introduced into the mold cavity at or near the completion of the plastic injection. The pressurized fluid serves several purposes. First, it allows the article so formed to have hollow interior portions which correspond to weight and material savings. Second, the pressurized fluid within the mold cavity applies outward pressure to force the plastic against the mold surfaces while the article solidifies. Third, the cycle time is reduced as the gas migrates through the most fluent inner volume of the plastic and replaces the plastic in these areas which would otherwise require an extended cooling cycle. Fourth, the gas pressure pushes the plastic against the mold surfaces, thereby obtaining the maximum coolant effect from the mold.
Gas-assisted injection molding has been used to produce a wide variety of automotive parts as shown in European Patent Specification 472,788 and as shown in the above-noted application entitled xe2x80x9cHollow Plastic Article Formed By A Gas-Assisted Injection Molding System.xe2x80x9d
An object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle trim assembly including an improved plastic inner trim panel for a side impact inflatable air bag system having an uninflated air bag curtain. The assembly also includes a plastic door, a door hinge including a plastic member to ensure that the door does not separate from the rest of the assembly during air bag deployment, and a latch for holding the door in its closed position but yet allows deployment of the air bag curtain through an opening formed in an outer trim panel of the assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle trim assembly including an improved plastic inner trim panel for a side impact inflatable air bag system wherein the assembly includes a door hinged to the inner trim panel of the assembly to ensure that the door does not separate from the assembly during air bag deployment and a latch for holding the door in its closed position within an opening formed in a plastic outer trim panel. In this way, the door need not be integrally formed with the relatively hard and strong plastic outer trim panel, thereby reducing not only initial but also replacement costs; also quality is improved, and styling is enhanced.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hollow plastic panel of a one-piece construction and adapted to be mounted in a motor vehicle wherein a gas channel defined by a conduit portion of the panel may conduct fluids or pass solid objects such as electrical wires through the panel.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects of the present invention, a motor vehicle trim panel assembly for a side impact inflatable air bag system is provided. The assembly includes an outer trim panel having inner and outer surfaces and an opening extending completely therethrough. The assembly also includes a plastic door adapted to enclose an uninflated air bag curtain of the system and close the opening in a closed position of the door. The door also has inner and outer surfaces. The assembly further includes an inner trim panel adapted to be mounted in a motor vehicle and which is connected to the outer trim panel. The inner trim panel also has inner and outer surfaces. The inner surfaces of the door and the inner trim panel define a storage compartment for the uninflated air bag curtain. The assembly includes a latch for holding the door in its closed position and which allows deployment of the air bag curtain. Finally, the assembly includes a hinge including a plastic member extending between the inner trim panel and the door for hingedly connecting the door to the inner trim panel and to allow the door to swing open and to ensure that the door does not separate from the inner trim panel during air bag curtain deployment within the motor vehicle.
Preferably, the plastic member is integrally formed with the plastic door.
Also, preferably, the latch includes at least one holding portion integrally formed with either the door or the inner trim panel for holding the door in its closed position. The door preferably includes a plurality of spaced movable flaps. Each of the flaps has a cavity formed therein. The latch includes a plurality of spaced holding portions which enter corresponding cavities of the flaps to hold the door in its closed position.
Preferably, the assembly further includes a lock to prevent removal of the holding portions from their corresponding cavities thereby locking the door in its closed position. However, the lock allows deployment of the air bag curtain.
The lock preferably includes a flange integrally formed with the container and in abutting engagement with the movable flaps to lock the door in its closed position.
The outer surface of the outer trim panel preferably lies in substantially the same plane as the outer surface of the door.
Also, preferably, the inner trim panel includes a channel for receiving and retaining an inflator of the system therein.
The outer trim panel and the door at least partially define an automotive pillar such as a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d pillar.
The inner trim panel is preferably a plastic panel of a one-piece construction and the outer trim panel is an injection molded part separate from the plastic door. Preferably, the door and the hinge comprise a single injection molded part and the inner plastic panel, the latch and the lock comprise a single injection molded part.
Further in carrying out the above objects and other objects of the present invention, in a motor vehicle trim assembly for a side impact inflatable air bag system, an inner trim panel is provided. The assembly includes an outer trim panel and a plastic door adapted to enclose an uninflated air bag curtain of the system. The inner trim panel is adapted to be mounted in a motor vehicle and is also adapted to be connected to the outer trim panel. The inner trim panel has a relatively thin base wall portion having top, bottom, inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface of the base wall portion partially defines a storage compartment for the uninflated air bag curtain. The inner trim panel also has a relatively thick conduit portion integrally formed with the base wall portion. The conduit portion has an aperture for fluidly communicating the top surface to the bottom surface of the base wall portion.
Preferably, the base wall portion of the inner trim panel includes a channel for receiving and retaining an inflator of the system therein.
Also, preferably, the conduit portion of the inner trim panel is formed by a pressurized fluid.
Still further in carrying out the above objects and other objects of the present invention, a hollow plastic panel of a one-piece construction adapted to be mounted in a motor vehicle is provided. The panel is formed from a molten plastic resin by a gas-assisted injection molding system including a mold having an article-defining cavity and an injection aperture wherein molten plastic resin is injected through the injection aperture and wherein pressurized fluid is communicated to the molten plastic resin in the article-defining cavity to at least partially distribute the molten plastic resin. The panel includes a hollow conduit portion including walls formed by the pressurized fluid to define a gas channel which extends completely through the panel between end surfaces thereof. The panel also includes a solid base wall portion connected to the conduit portion. The gas channel defined by the resin walls is provided for conducting fluids or passing solid objects such as electric wires through the panel.